Accessories

Make Your Ceiling Pop!

September 11, 2018

Ready to wow your guests (and yourself!) with a bold interior design move? Throw some wallpaper on the ceiling and you’ll be mighty impressed by the results. There are all kinds of ways you can use wallpaper to jazz up your ceiling and provide an unexpected visual treat in a space that is traditionally left alone.

Wallpapering the ceiling can be used in multiple ways. For example:

To add a bold color or pattern that would have overwhelmed the space on the walls.
Highlight an architectural feature or lighting fixture.
Provide visual interest on an expanse of highly visible ceiling (like the lower ceilings in a sloped upper-story bedroom or along the stairwell).
To add texture and pattern that replicates traditional wood moulding motifs.
Make a tall ceiling feel a little closer in order to create a more intimate ambiance.

If you’re feeling adventurous and love DIY projects, then more power to you. Check out these instructions on How to Wallpaper a Ceiling and have at it. Otherwise, we recommend using a professional so the job is done cleanly and efficiently – without the risk of mismatched lines, wrinkles, loose edges and other calamities that can occur during (and after) the wallpapering process.

Here are examples of the many ways wallpapering your ceiling can enhance an interior design. You’ll wonder why you’ve never used it in the past.

Move Over Michelangelo: 5 Great Reasons to Use Wallpaper on Your Ceilings

Be bold – in moderation. There are some super fun and colorful wallpaper prints but they can easily overwhelm a living space. Instead, put them on the ceiling, where they are off the eyes’ beaten path. Then use accents and accessories to tie in the bright colors inherent in the pattern. It would be a special room that could accommodate the large, bright print that became the ceiling of this South Hamptom dining room, but it looks fantastic in its current application.
Highlight existing features. Here’s another dining room that optimized the idea of ceiling paper. The use of white trim detail with a recessed border around the light fixture, combined with a matching shade of wallpaper, sets the stage for any guests who enter to take a seat at the table.
Create a textured look. Texture is an important element of design. Without it, a living space appears flat. While high-quality textured wallpaper is pricey, it’s still more affordable than serious wood work. Therefore, seek out wallpapers with textured patterns that replicate ornate ceiling or panel work, and you’ll get the benefit of a luxurious look and texture for a fraction of the price of the real thing.
Make visible ceiling space more interesting. Every once in a while, there’s an expanse of ceiling space that angles into our visual plane. A little visual detail is always a nice touch and wallpaper can provide just that. I think of upper-story rooms that have sloped ceilings or a low ceiling space that is angled to accommodate a staircase.
Shrink a tall ceiling. More often than not, we talk about light and bright colors on ceilings to open up a space. However, every once in a while, you want to do the opposite. Higher-than average ceilings, typical of older homes, can make a room feel more cavernous than you like. Using darker colors is beneficial in these cases because they shrink the room a bit. Darker and/or patterned wallpaper on the ceiling will make it seem a little closer.

Half Painted Walls and Beyond

August 15, 2018

There are two types of people in this life: those who plan their next color scheme the minute the final coats of interior paint are drying and those who pass out at the thought of painting on their own. Well, I have a secret for you: half painted walls can be the happy medium for those of you in the latter crowd – and the result will be a living space that has all the benefits of a fresh new look, and added architectural interest.

Here are examples of how and why half painted walls can be a wonderful design solution for your interior spaces.

The literal half-painted wall. Meaning you measure how high you want the line, tape it off, and start painting above or below the tape line – is our first example. Like accent walls, this can be a good option for those of you who want to add a bright or bold color, but worry it will be too dramatic on an entire wall space. By painting the brighter color on the bottom, the boldness will be broken up further by furnishings, so the exposed areas become a nice pop of color. If your ceilings are low, painting the bottom half of the walls the color you want and leaving the top half white will make the room appear more spacious.

Half-painted walls also work if you want to provide a textured bottom to your wall, such as beautiful wood wainscoting, beadboard, or other wall applications; then you can paint the top half the color of your choice.

Precise sections of wall. You can also tailor specific sections of your wall for painting. For example, this living room in Amsterdam uses bright orange on the section of wall framing the grey couch. The grey and orange look great together. Cutting the orange section short of the door way keeps it a more distinct and intentional part of the design. What could have been garish becomes totally stylish when you know how to balance proportion and impact, and half painted walls can accomplish that.

Artistic interpretations of the half-painted wall. What is most appealing to me is some of the style-forward artistic ways that people are using color on their walls. Treating the wall as a blank art canvas, and using fun color combinations, unique application techniques and/or non-traditional boundaries (or lack thereof) is such a creative way to add color, texture, dimension and a whole lot of interest to your space. Look at these examples from decoesfera.com. The site is in Spanish, but you can easily cut-and-paste it into Google Translate to read the full blog. Here are some of my favorite examples:

Purposely uneven. Forget about the tape. Just roll or brush your color of choice in the general dimension/shape you want and let the loose and feathered edges become their own design statement.
Water color. Look how gorgeous it is when you make a section of your wall a watercolor canvas. It’s a wonderful and soft way to add color and becomes a modern work of art on its own.
Get a little funky. Check this idea out: one color is applied (almost traditionally) in a section behind the bed. The other color was applied with a textured technique on the top third of the wall and moves to the adjacent wall. It looks fantastic and will definitely solicit appreciative comments from guests.

Making That College Dorm Stylish

August 3, 2018

College dorms are the ultimate “shared design experience,” especially freshman year when you don’t know much about your dorm mates. In many cases, college dorm rooms end up looking like two halves of completely different wholes – with a nearly visible line down the middle. The ultimate goal is to find ways to design your section of the room so that it is comfortable and expresses your own, personal style.

7 Tips for Making that College Dorm Stylish

The following tips will help you make your dorm space your own.

Create a color scheme. If you are in contact with your future roommate(s) and are in conversation with them, ask them what they plan to do. While designing a room together is probably a bit of a stretch, knowing what colors(s) they plan to use can help you choose yours. Are you familiar with a Color Wheel? They are fantastic for determining which colors go the best together.

Using complementary colors (colors directly opposite one another on the wheel) is one approach. Using analogous colors (colors that are side-by-side on the wheel) is another. This Houzz.com article is a good introduction to the process. If you and your dorm roommates can coordinate the colors in your individual spaces using the tenets of the color wheel, your room will look amazing, even if your styles are completely different.

Use impermanent color. While the typical nail holes and scuff marks are expected in a dorm room, most colleges forbid more permanent changes – like repainting the walls. Therefore, you will have to find ways to use impermanent color to keep your space from resembling a sterile, white hospital room.

Easy ways to do this include:

Creating a large wall board with favorite pictures, posters and memorabilia from back home.
Using colorful, decorative throw pillows on your bed – which also serves as a chair, couch and hang-out space when more than one friend stops by.
Hang tapestries or wall hangings that add both color and texture to your room.
Choosing an attractive bedding set since your bed will always be in the spotlight when your dorm room door is open.

Read, Adding Color Without Adding Paint for more fun ideas for how to add style and color in your dorm space.

Upgrade your “home office.” Your desk is going to be your home within a home over the next several years so you might as well make it as stylish and comfortable as possible. First, make sure you set your desk up in a way that supports ergonomics so you aren’t compromising your physical health by typing in crazy positions. Then, add a little color via desktop organizers, pen/pencil holders and don’t forget an indoor plant or two to add a little life.

Keep that closet organized. Part of keeping any space stylish includes keeping it free of unnecessary clutter. That’s no easy feat in a dorm room, so an efficiently organized closet is key. Dorm closets are notoriously small but you’d be amazed what a difference an efficient closet design will make. The more organized your closet is, the less of its contents will spill into the rest of the room.

Bring the bare minimum with you to start since you’ll only be adding to it as the year progresses. If you live there for a few weeks/months and decide your missing some essentials, you can always have them shipped out. Visit a home furnishings store to find closet organizers that work in both your dorm room and future closets.

Choosing Tile for Your Bathroom

July 16, 2018

Depending on the surface area you want to cover, choosing tile for a bathroom is no easy feat. There are so many options available, it can make your head spin. Before you get dizzy, take a deep breath and let’s go through some of your tile options to help you decide which one is right for your bathroom’s style and function.

Choosing Tile for a Bathroom Remodel: A Few Tips to Get You Started

Which bathroom is it? If you’re remodeling a powder room, you won’t be as worried about the slip factor and may have the luxury of using higher-end tiles that you might not have been able to accommodate in the budget elsewhere. A kid’s bathroom, or a universal bathroom design focusing on accessibility, will require non-slip tile options for showers and floor. The level of maintenance you’re interested in putting into the tiles is also a consideration. Large tiles mean less grout – while smaller tiles mean more grout – and grout means more complex cleaning and long-term maintenance.

Where will the tiles go? I generally recommend using non-slip tiles on the shower floor, and they’re also a good idea on the floor of bathrooms frequently used for bathing and showering. However, gorgeous 18×18 marble tiles look amazing on bathroom floors and a well-placed area rug can always substitute as a non-slip surface directly adjacent to bath and shower areas. If you love the look of a slippery tile, simply choose it in a mosaic pattern, where extra grout will serve the non-slip role, or intersperse a mosaic pattern around larger tiles to serve the same purpose.

What type of tiles are you interested in? There are so many different types of tiles to choose from, ranging from ceramic and porcelain tiles to glass and quarried rock. Here is a brief rundown:

Ceramic and porcelain tiles. According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association, ceramic/porcelain tiles continue to be the most popular bathroom tile choice due to their ultra-durable surfaces and availability. With so many tiles to choose from, start by limiting your viewing selections to the styles recommended for bathroom applications, including non-slip options for safety. I assure you there are more than enough different styles to choose from.
Quarried tiles. Natural stone tiles are right behind ceramic tiles in terms of popularity. Again, your choices are seemingly endless. Keep in mind that quarried stones are porous, which means they are susceptible to stains, etching and/or chips or cracks depending on the type of stone you select. Marble is softer, granite and slate are harder. Marble is smooth on the feet but can be slippery. Slate can be rough for tender feet but is non-slip. Each has its advantages and your bathroom designer will help you select the best choice for your needs.
Glass Tiles. These are becoming increasingly popular, especially for those who prefer a more modern look. They come in all kinds of funky colors and their translucent nature adds its own level of interest as well as light play. Typically, glass tiles are used on the walls, to increase visual interest around sinks, baths and showers. They can be used on the floor but are less typical there because they are expensive and the contractor has to be meticulous to keep the adhesive from being visible. Glass tiles are relatively chip- and break-resistant but they’re susceptible to scratches.

The Perfect Chandelier

June 13, 2018

The dining room chandelier is like icing on the dining room design cake. In addition to providing lighting and ambiance, it also adds visual focus and a stylized design element. So, selecting the dining room chandelier is an important step. The wrong chandelier can make the room fall flat, while the right one will be noted and serve as a conversation piece for all who sit at your table.

Tips for Choosing a Dining Room Chandelier

The following tips will help you select – and then hang – your chandelier so it makes for a picture-perfect dining room.

The empty room. If you are just moving into a home, having a room built, and/or haven’t yet purchased a dining room table, you will want to size the chandelier in proportion with the dining room’s dimensions. In this case, the designer’s “rule of thumb” is to add the length plus the width of the room. The resulting figure would be the rough size of the chandelier’s diameter. So, if your dining room is a 10 x 12 space, you would keep your eye out for chandeliers that are roughly 22 inches in diameter.

The furnished room. If your dining room is already furnished, you should size the chandelier according to the table’s dimensions. In this case, designers typically choose a fixture (or two fixtures!) that is about one-half (no less than one-third) of the table’s width. By taking these dimensions into consideration, the chandelier will be in proportion to the space.

The table shape. The shape of the chandelier is also of importance. In most cases, you’ll see that a well-chosen chandelier mimics the shape of the table below. So a round table will have a round fixture while a square or rectangular table will have a similarly shaped chandelier. Of course, this is only a guideline. If you find a chandelier you love and it doesn’t fit this rule, go ahead and install it to see what you think. You can always return it if it doesn’t work out.

Complement your existing design. Your chandelier should complement the existing interior design. In a separate, formal dining room, this means keeping in line with the existing style. If you have an open floor plan, it can be fun to use the dining room chandelier as a way to tie in color, pattern, shape or other visual elements that may be visible elsewhere in the living space, while still holding true to the dining room design elements.

If you are someone who likes to change things up more frequently than most, consider purchasing a chandelier that uses a shade – or shades – as part of its aesthetic. This gives you a little flexibility because you can change the shades over time rather than having to change out the whole fixture.

How to Hang the Chandelier

If you are the first homeowner to install a chandelier in that space, or if you have chosen a particularly heavy chandelier, I highly recommend you hire an electrician who can make sure your ceiling is reinforced properly so it can withstand the weight of the fixture.

Typically, the chandelier should hang about 30-inches from the table top for an 8-foot ceiling. If the ceiling is higher, add 3-inches to that distance for every additional foot of ceiling height. So a 9-foot ceiling would leave 33-inches between the bottom of the chandelier.

If your chandelier doesn’t come with a dimmer option, I recommend installing a dimmer switch so you can control light quality and ambiance.